I do not own Veronica mars or any of the characters besides Rachel she is my pride and joy! I hope you enjoy the story, it is a prequel to my first story 'The Greatest Love' I hope you like them both. Long Live the King Rob Thomas!

The sun slipped through the blinds and danced up the side of the bed and made its way across the faces of the tired bedmates. He stirred in his sleep and finally opened his eyes and let them adjust to his surroundings, he peered down and it took him a moment to realize who was in his arms. She wasn't a fling, or a one night stand they didn't even have sex, she was his everything. They had been dating all summer and were coming up on their 2 month anniversary which seemed big to him. He didn't move, he didn't want to wake stir her from her peaceful sleep, her face was curved in a slight smile and he wished he could jump into her head and find out what made her so happy, what did she dream about? Who did she dream about?

When he watched her eyes start to rouse under her lids, he snapped his shut and pretended to be asleep. He could feel her stretch under him and gently remove his arms from around her. The bed started to move and he knew she was slipping out of it gently trying not to wake him up until he actually had to. She walked toward the bathroom and he could hear the shower start to run. All he could do was think about the time he had spent with her and prey that she would never leave.

He got up and slowly made his way to the bathroom, he opened the door silently and slid in, she had the shower curtain drawn and all he could see was the silhouette of her naked body. She wasn't like the other girls she had her own way of looking at the world and herself.

"What do you think you are doing, you little pervert?" she said with a playful mock in her voice. He had yet to see her naked she was very protective of her virginity and who saw what. He didn't know her plan with him but he was willing to wait as long as she needed.

"Rachel you are truly killing me." He said pretending to stab a knife through his heart. She peeked her head from around the corner and looked at him with a devilish grin.

"What, do you want to join me?" she asked slipping a leg around the shower curtain and rubbing it up and down the door. She loved to tease him, but along with the grin he could see the terror in her eyes, awaiting his answer.

"No" he replied with a silent grumble, then replied "You like it way to hot for me" noting the fact that she had set it to the highest temperature. "I don't feel like having second degree burns.

"Well I will be out in a couple of minutes then you can change it to your pussy, setting" she quipped. "Plus we need to hurry you have school today" she added knowing that he had forgotten.

"Oh crap! It isn't Monday it cant be!"

It had been a long summer started with Aarons and his parent's trial. His parents had gotten off with 1 year probation, and 100 hours of community service each, for covering up the murder. Aaron on the other hand was up for 2 counts attempted murder, 1 count statuary rape, and 1 count first degree murder His trial was going to be a lot harder.

He had been in a daze for the weeks that followed Aarons arrest, he had decided to go back on the Zoloft and become the zombie that his parents adored. He paced in front of the pharmacy counter in the grocery store waiting for them to fill his prescription when he heard a strange noise behind him. She was 5'9 with a light auburn hair and fiery green eyes; she had an hourglass shape with an almost flat stomach and a pair of hips. But she pulled it off, her body worked for her, (or she worked her body) either way she was unique. He watched her dance down the aisle swaying her hips and dancing around in circles, she was wearing headphones that covered her ears as well as all outside noise. She was also humming while closing her eyes and concentrating on the music.

He heard the man at the pharmacy clear his throat and he jerked around immediately, then slowly walked up to the counter. There were two bags on the counter and before he could reach out he saw a hand dart in front of him and grab the one on the left, he could smell her perfume, it was citricy and reminded him of some Lilly used to wear. He skipped off turning her head and yelling over her shoulder, "Thanks Larry!"

Still stunned by how much he seemed to notice about this girl and wondering how she knew the pharmacist he almost didn't realize he had the wrong bag. He read the side and whispered the name to himself "Rachel Rembok." He sprinted forward and lightly tapped her shoulder. She stopped in her tracks and turned around abruptly, he had expected her to be shocked or angry that he had snapped her out of her trance. But instead she turned around with a small smile on her face, which soon turned into a grin "You must be Duncan"

He was shocked, how did she know his name? Did he know her? "Yes, how do you know?" he asked quizzically. She lifted up the bag and pointed to the name printed on the front.

"I think I jacked your bag by mistake" she added. He struck his forehead with him palm in a 'No-Duh' gesture, and then placed his attention on her while extending his hand out.

"I'm Duncan Kane, but I think we already established that" he said making her smile even brighter.

"I thought you would be taller, huh" said in a matter-of-fact tone, he again was confused, and then remembers the vast media circus that had ceased to stop following him everywhere. Then she took his hand and added "I'm Rachel."

They shook hands and she giggled when it didn't stop. He felt embarrassed and released her; they stood in silence a couple of seconds before she started "Zoloft is bad, I can't believe you're on it."

"You little peeper" he grinned.

"Hey I can't help It, it was right next to your name, and I am a sucker for detail" she said biting her tongue between her teeth in an innocent look.

"Well let's see what we have here" he said looking at her bag, "Ritalin" he said sounding shocked.

"Yep I have too much pep and an overactive imagination when those things mix only bad things can happen. My shrink thinks I am nuts, we pay the guy $300 dollars an hour and all he can come up with is a prescription of Ritalin for me and some aspirin for himself."

That last part made him laugh and then he retracted it as if not to offend her.

"Sorry" he mumbled

"No prob, that's why I said it, if I can't laugh about my problems then what good are they." They both laughed and he slowly passed her, her bag. She gave him his and turned to walk away. She quickly spun back around as if she had just had a great idea. "Do you want to go get some coffee" she said wincing her eyes as if waiting for the blow of rejection.

"Sure I have no where I need to be." He said moving his hand as if telling her to lead the way. "But I have to warn you, there are going to be tons of reporters following our every move."

"What are you famous or something" she said looking confused.

"Kinda, I thought you knew who I was; you said you expected me to be taller?"

"Oh, I say that to everyone" she giggles and pushes his shoulder playfully.

"No way is school back in session, I just started to enjoy my summer." He whined looking in the now steamy bathroom mirror.

"Well you do and I am not going to let you be late, Now stop pouting and start some coffee I need a morning buzz." She commanded with a whip of her finger toward the door.

"Like you need more of a pep, God I hate morning people." He mumbled retracting from the bathroom and making his way to the kitchen.

Rachel was a senior at a high school outside of San Diego called Poway High, he had heard of them before but never gave it much thought. Her grandfather had recently died and she came up to Neptune to supervise the storing of his summer house. When the movers were gone she decided to stay the summer and had them leave a bed, fridge and TV. She lived off a couple grand she had saved up over the years, and finally ran out of money. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was 15 and had left her with a name and a 9 million dollar inheritance, but as a sick joke (or as she puts it) her fathers lawyers had convinced her dad to put it in a trust she was to get when she turned 21.

So she lived with her Grandfather in Poway and would stay with her best friend in Coronado for the summers. She hated Poway almost as much as he now hated Neptune and was secretly planning on moving to Neptune. But Rachel is not the best at secrets and he had convinced her not to.

"Why?" she pleaded.

"Because I don't want you to get caught up in this world, I have seen it destroy people and I don't want that for you." He said pleading as well.

"Fine I will go back to Poway, and you will never see me again" she said almost crying.

"Of course I will, I will come and get you all the time, I promise" he grabbed her arms and pulled her into him. He had only known her for a couple of months but she was his everything. He still cared for veronica but this was different. He had felt so free with Rachel he had even told her the whole story, about EVERYTHING that happened. He had expected her to flee but all she did was smile lightly and pull him close comforting him. Saying, "You didn't know it is not your fault; you thought you were doing the right thing by letting her go."

She had forgiven him and for some reason that was all he needed, she sat in on his testimony and comforted him with smiles and thumbs up. She always had a knack for making everything better with a smile. He hadn't had a chance to see Logan and Veronica during the trial because there testimonies were to be kept separate as to not influence one another's stories. So they were never in the same room, but he called Logan a couple of times to see how he was doing.

He was recovering from a beating from Weevil and he wanted to make sure he had everything he needed. However later he found out that he and veronica were back together after a surprise to her apartment the night of the attack. At first he was upset, this became one of the reasons he was going back on Zoloft. He really thought he loved Veronica but after a while he realized the veronica he loved no longer existed. So he congratulated the two with some encouragement (demands) from Rachel and they remained cool.

She skipped into the kitchen, she was wearing a pair of blue wash jeans and a light pink t-shirt, and she had her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail and a light layer of makeup. She hopped over to the coffee pot and poured herself some in a mug with the '#1 dad' written on the side.

"So what time do you have to go today?" he asked with a sudden frown.

"Well I better go now, I have late day which means I don't have to get to school until 9:15 but It will take me about 45 minutes to get there, then I have to go through registration." She pouted not wanted to go either.

"I will see you soon" he said trying to cheer her up and pulling her into a hug. He kissed the crown of her head and she slowly walked toward the door grabbed her bag and walked out the door.

His Parents found it necessary to go to every out of town charity event imaginable to try to boost up their reputations after the 'Trial'. This gave him and Rachel a lot of time to hang out and act like a couple living in sin. Yet there was no sin, the first night they had fallen asleep on the couch watching a movie, and the next morning he found her asleep in one of the guest rooms. After a while she got more comfortable with him and realized he wasn't a pushy guy and that he respected her wishes. So they kept their sleepovers Dawson's Creek (pg), and lived on each day like a normal couple. Celeste and Jake were too caught up in their own lives that they were totally oblivious to what their son did while they were gone. But both of them liked and respected Rachel, Yes! Even Celeste liked Rachel.

Duncan showered quickly, ran a brush through his hair and ran out the door, for some reason going back to school was not so scary anymore. When he reached the school he parked in his designated spot and ran over to the all-too-familiar yellow X-terra.

"Hey, man" he yelled seeing Logan walk around the back.

"Hey, why are you so chipper" He said "Get a little something, something this morning" he added wiggling his eyebrows.

"No, I just missed you man, cant a guy be happy to see his best friend" he quipped.

Logan lifted his hands in a mock surrender, "I am just saying you look like you've been having some serious fun"

"What? You two having fun without me again" a familiar voice mocked from behind. They both turned and smiled at the bouncy little blond.

"No baby, how could we?" Logan said bending down and sweeping her into a kiss. "Good morning"

"Good morning" she replied now giddy.

"God they have been doing that all summer, your lucky you haven't been around Duncan I am almost blind from these two disgusting PDA's" Wallace says making his presence know.

"Yeah Duncan where have you been?" Veronica asked sliding out of Logan's arms. They continue walking, while Duncan tries to come up with the right response.

"I have been around; I have been kinda seeing someone." He said trying not to draw too much attention.

"That's great man!" Logan gushed. "What's she like?"

"Lets get to class I will have you meet her later, but I just have to say she absolutely perfect." He looked at veronica, which didn't seem phased at all, she knew that he needed someone and she was glad he found someone he liked.

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